Harsh Love
by NovaKirk
Summary: A crime scene in Central park. One in a fancy house. Unexplained bruises and cuts and...a link? How cold is this world? When you can't even trust family! I DON'T own anything! That is the right of the writers and CBS!
1. Chapter 1

_Harsh Love_

_CSI:NY_

_Chapter 1_

_**Flack looked around but no-one else was there and in truth he didn't blame them. 4am on a Sunday morning was enough to make anyone wince, but he was surprised that the CSI's hadn't shown up yet. The call he had gotten telling him to get down to Central Park had came in at 3am but by the time he had gotten ready and then got here he had figured someone would already be processing the scene. It seems not.**_

_**Flack looked across the crime scene tape he had already put up. The vic was one Kirsty Dulhurst, 16 years old and out of place in Central Park. **_

_**The baggy jeans, clumpy boots and jumper that had to be at least 2 sizes to big made Flack think of Lindsay. It was just the image the vic gave him. **_

_**But Lindsay had gotten a chance to get away from her country girl background and now this girl never would.**_

_**The splash Danny's foot made as it went into a puddle snapped Flack right out of his reverie. Shaking his foot dry with a look of disgust on his face Danny turned to Flack.**_

_**"What we got here Don?" Stella walked up from behind Danny and stopped in front of Flack.**_

_**"Our vic's 16 and her name is Kirsty Dulhurst. Don't know where she lives or where her parents are but she looks to young to be living in New York on her own. Stella shook her head in the affirmative. **_

_**"Looks a bit out of place Flack, what do you think. Kidnapping gone wrong??"**_

_**"At this point Stella, I'm really not sure." With that Flack turned and walked away.**_

_**"Whoever she was she was not stupid." Danny announced from where he was hovering over the vic. Stella looked at him in surprise "What do you mean Danny?"**_

_**Danny stood up still looking at the body below him. "I don't know the cause of death for sure Stella, but I think she knew she was going to die. There's bruising on her neck that implicates that she was strangled and it was the old fashioned way, with hands."**_

_**Stella didn't understand how this all meant she was smart.**_

_**Danny continued to talk this time pointing at the vic. "There 's no chance that she didn't know what was about to happen, her death must have been slow and laborious it took this guy a while to kill her."**_

_**"But look at her face she doesn't look surprised or even scared. I think she knew what was coming a long time before it happened."**_

_**Stella looked at the young girl lying before her and although there was no evidence to prove Danny's theory true, she felt a sudden rush of love for this girl who had known what was coming and hadn't been able to do anything to stop it.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lindsay knelt down and pushed open the eyes of the 2 year old boy lying dead on the ground. "No signs of pehicial haemorrhaging." she shouted over her shoulder to Hawkes. "Same on this one!" Lindsay slowly stood up and walked over to Hawkes. " The MO for this killing feels wrong Hawkes."

"Tell me about it. Who could kill a 2 year old kid for nothing? What does it matter if he saw the whole thing, its not like he could do anything!"

"That's not what I meant." Hawkes looked up at Lindsay there was a certain something in her voice. "You know if your not ready Lindsay I can do this on my own."

"Hawkes I was born ready!" The face she pulled saying it made him laugh and the sound of him muffling it brought Detective Angell in to investigate. "Anything wrong?" she asked, her eyes darting around. Lindsay took control of the situation "Not at all Detective just me getting laughed at again for my foolish comment."

Angell looked around "Well if nothings wrong here, you don't mind if I stay outside? This place kinda creeps me out!"

Knowing Angell would never of said it if Flack or Danny were there Lindsay nodded her head. As Angell walked back out into the night air Hawkes turned to Lindsay, "What did you mean then?"

"Look around Hawkes there is all the evidence of a teenage daughter in this house. No evidence of a kidnapping or that she was murdered and the body moved and those," she pointed to the pair of straightners that had been burning their way through the quilt before Hawkes had turned them off, "prove that she was in this house. So what's going on? Huh??"

Hawkes had to agree with her. "You think this is the daughters doing??"

"No, she's too weak to deliver the killer blow on her mother and too small to hit her father over the back of the head." 

Hawkes nodded his head in agreement. 

"When's the M.E getting here anyway??" Lindsay asked quite forcefully. "We need to get these bodies moved before we can start processing the scene."

Hawkes just shrugged his shoulders and knew that no matter what had happened recently in Lindsay's life, the old Lindsay was back. And that was something to be grateful for!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Sid splashed water on his face, it had been an early start this morning. Yawning he climbed out of the van and walked towards Flack. He already knew from the call he had received that there victim was a young girl. 

"Where is she Flack?" he asked. 

"Hey Sid, you tired?" Flack was smirking at him. "Don't go there Don." Sid said warningly before following Flack's outstretched arm and noticing Stella and Danny processing the scene.

"Hey Danny, found anything yet?" Stella shouted from where she was processing, so far she hadn't found anything. Zilch. Nada.

"Plenty!" 

Stella looked up in shock. Walking towards Danny Stella saw Sid ducking under the crime scene tape.

"Have you processed all around her yet?" he asked before making sure not to disturb evidence on his way to the body. 

"Yeah Sid we've done it. Name's Kirsty Dulhurst." 

"Dulhurst!?" Sid narrowed his eyes at the girl. " Yep, that's what I said Sid." Stella said.

"Okay. I'll get her back to the morgue now then." Sid said lifting the black body bag onto the trolley with Danny's help. "Thanks Danny."

Danny looked up at him, "It's all part of the job." 

Then seeing that Sid was just standing there he said "So that's what the thanks was for, it was a premature thanks."

Sid smiled, "Yes, for helping me get her to the van."

"I get it, I'm coming, I'm coming." Danny said standing up again. "Lets go then." He said taking one end of the trolley and beginning to push it towards the M.E's van.

Stella picked up the evidence Danny had already collected and looked at it. In the distance she could hear Flack tease Danny about pushing the trolley. 

She looked at the evidence in her hand, a large black watch - looked male, a few black fibres and something that looked like a whip. From what she could see it looked like real leather.

"Something wrong Stella?" She hadn't noticed Danny walk up behind her. 

"No, I was just wondering what this was," Stella said holding up the whip-like object, "Doesn't look like it belongs to our vic."

Danny shook his head, "I came to the same conclusion. Better get it back to the lab and put it under the microscope."

"Wait! Danny, you were telling me your suspicions about the vic?"

Danny bent down low over his kit and started re-packing it. 

"Just an idea, but when we get back to the lab we should ask Hammerback if anything was found in our vic's hands, under her nails or in her mouth."

Stella looked down at him. " Your thinking she knew she was going to die. So instead of wasting her last few minutes fighting uselessly, she clawed and bit her attacker trying to capture some of his DNA."

"Exactly!"

With that Danny stood and walked towards the parked black SUV.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Lindsay rubbed her face with her hands. When was the M.E gonna get here?

They had been waiting at least half an hour and both she and Hawkes were getting impatient. They were waiting for the M.E to get here because the bodies took up most of the crime scene. The blood spatters on the wall told them that this was their preliminary scene.

Lindsay had had enough. "Hawkes you take the daughters bedroom. I'm going to start processing around the bodies." 

When Hawkes raised a questioning eyebrow she looked him straight in the eye.

"We can't wait any longer!"

Hawkes walked into the girls room and got to work immediately. No answering back. No smart comments. 

Lindsay frowned, it just proved that this job took all kinds. 

Hawkes pulled long blonde hairs off the girls pillow and from a tissue in her trashcan he found smeared blood. Human. 

There were fingerprints all over the room, on every surface which didn't make things easy, but as Hawkes smiled to himself he thought 'When has this job ever been easy?'

There was clearly no sign of a struggle in the room. Having looked around the room one last time making sure he hadn't missed anything he went in search of Lindsay.

"Hey…. Uh where did the bodies go?" Lindsay looked over at him, what kind of question was that?

"Some madman came and stole them. Where do you think they are?"

Yep, the old Lindsay was definitely back. Hawkes pulled a face.

"The M.E came and took them about 20 mins ago. I'm nearly finished here, but you can go back to the lab if you want."

"That's alright. What do you want me to do?" he said looking round the room.

"The windows need dusting. Inside and Out."

If one thing was said about Lindsay it was that she was thorough!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sid looked up as another body was wheeled into the morgue, unsure if it was the heat wave that was gripping the city that was setting it all off. One thing he knew for certain was that he was rushed off his feet.

'Dulhurst, Dulhurst. Where had he heard that name _before. _He just couldn't place it. He had definitely heard it somewhere before Danny and Stella's case.' 

He looked down at the body for a brainwave but received none.

"Hey Sid, any news for us?" Danny asked as he held the door open for Stella to enter the room in front of him.

'Very chivalrous of him.' Sid thought.

"DNA under the nails and fingerprints on her neck. She lay still enough to get her attackers prints while he strangled her."

Stella tore her gaze off of the girls neck and focused it on Danny. "Goes with the theory."

Sid carried on, "Tested negative for a sexual assault kit, no bruising or cuts on her body. No sign of defensive wounds or a struggle," Stella glanced up at Danny. ",but she has got these calluses on her hands. I can't identify what there from, but I've got the feeling I've seen them before." 

Sid offered Stella one of the girls hands and looking across the table Danny saw the similar calluses.

"Rare hide braiding. Lindsay has them on her hands too." Both Sid and Stella looked at him. Stella raised one eyebrow enquiringly, but before she could say anything Sid spoke. "Ah yes, I remember her showing me them. The friction from braiding leather, correct?"

"I'm not sure but I think that's it." Danny replied. "Maybe we should get Montana to look at those just encase?" Danny turned to Stella. 

"The whip thing we found at the scene could have given her those," he pointed to the victims hands. "If she was pulling on it tight enough that is."

"That's a good idea Danny. I'll go see if I can find her, I'm sure she's in the lab." Stella said and lifting the samples Sid had taken from the vic she walked out of the morgue.

"Bye Stella!" Sid shouted after her, then he turned to Danny.

"Looks can be deceiving Detective." He pointed to the bruises on the neck.

"Though it seems straightforward it isn't. Your victim did not die of being strangled, her heart gave out around two minutes after her attacker tackled her to the ground. That's estimated of course."

Danny sighed, but before he could ask what had caused heart failure in a 16 year old girl Sid told him the answer.

"Your victim had a rare, incurable heart condition, by my estimation she would have had 2 weeks left to live tops." Saying this he looked up at Danny and un-clicked his glasses so that they lay across his chest.

"Two weeks is two weeks Sid. No one had the right to end this girls life." Danny looked at Sid for confirmation. "The attacker did cause her premature death though?"

Sid looked Danny straight in the eye. " No doubt about it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

'What was that? There was definitely something in there. She just couldn't make out what.' 

Lindsay slid back up onto her knees and fished the mag light out of her pocket. Shining it into the mouse hole she found something interesting. A syringe.

Hawkes walked back into the room just in time to see Lindsay sit back up on her knees. "That's the windows done. Inside and out."

Before he could ask if she needed any help with anything she looked at him and pointed to her kit. "Hawkes can you please pass me those plastic tweezers?" Lindsay asked.

"Sure." Hawkes bent down by her kit lifted out the tweezers and then crossed the room to give her them. 

Lindsay was lying face down, flat out on the floor. "Eh.. Lindsay what are you doing?" he asked passing her the tweezers. When she turned to take them from him he noticed something he hadn't before. There was a small mouse hole in the wall and Lindsay was obviously trying to extract something from it.

"Thanks Hawkes and there's a mouse hole and someone has hid a syringe inside it." Removing both the tweezers and the syringe from the hole and holding them up to the light Lindsay shook her head. "Sneaky people." 

Hawkes looked down at her unsure if this was a sarcastic comment or just a remark, the smile playing on her lips made him think both.

"Can you pass me an evidence bag over?" Lindsay asked looking up at him.

Hawkes glanced at her before passing her an evidence bag, "Sure but don't you want to print it first?"

"The syringe has still got something it could be harmless, but on the safe side I'd rather wait till we got back to the lab."

Smiling Hawkes nodded his head," That's fine with me detective shall we get going now?"

Smirking at his sarcasm Lindsay picked herself up off the floor and walked towards her kit, the evidence bag sealed and in her hand. "Yes Sheldon I think it's about time we got back to the lab and started processing the evidence."

Picking up her kit she turned to look him in the face, she liked making eye contact when she talked to someone. Suspect or victim and sometimes even friends.

"Talking of evidence, did u get anything off the windows?"

Hawkes had been waiting for her question. "One set of prints on all of the windows. Don't look like a match to any of our victims though, but I'll run them through AFIS when we get back to the lab just to make sure."

Holding the front door open for him, Lindsay smiled "Well then what are we waiting for? Lets go!"

Detective Angell nodded to them as they went out the door. Ducking under the crime scene tape and walking towards the SUV Lindsay searched her pockets for the keys only to remember that Hawkes had drove them here.

"Hawkes, mind if I drive back?" she asked.

"Not at all Lindsay!" he said while tossing the keys to her. Turning she caught them one handed. 'Must have good reflexes.' he thought.

"Good catch." Lindsay smiled back at his comment, he had never known her to blush. Well unless Mac praised her for something that was, Danny's calling her Montana didn't even effect her any longer. She had grown immune to it. 

Packing his kit in the back of the SUV with Lindsay following suit, he thought about the Lindsay he had first met and was glad that she was back to her normal self again. 

True it had been horrible what had happened to her, but this Lindsay, the real Lindsay, was much more fun.

Slamming the door as Lindsay jumped into the drivers seat, Hawkes closed the door, making sure their kits and the evidence was secure and climbed into the passengers seat. 

Looking at her only once before turning to stare out the side window, smiling at what he saw.

For Lindsay was smiling defiantly at the road ahead and to Hawkes who hadn't seen her like that in a long, long time it was as if the sun had come out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Where's Lindsay?" Danny asked when Stella returned to the morgue on her own. 

"She got called out to a scene this morning. Looks like she had just as early a shift as us!"

Danny looked across at Sid, "Is it okay if I get Montana to come down and look at our victims hands when she gets back?"

Sid smiled, "Of course it is, but take this photo too." Danny accepted the photo Sid handed him of the calluses on the victims hands. "Thanks Sid, I'll be down later then!"

"See you later then Danny." Sid said. To Stella he simply nodded his head and sighing he covered the vics face and wheeled her out of sight.

"Come on, we better get back up stairs and take a look at this evidence. Maybe it'll give us a clue on who strangled this girl." Stella said before walking towards the door and out of the morgue.

Danny took in what she said, nodded his head and then when he realised she had already left the room ran after her. He did after all have a lot of explaining to do on behalf of their victim. 

Danny caught up with Stella relatively quickly and as they both stepped into the elevator he told her about Kirsty Dulhurst's condition. 

"So you're telling me that our victim _was_murdered, but because her heart gave out due to her condition, not due to the fact that she was strangled." Stella looked at Danny just to make sure she had got it right.

"That's it in one Stella." They left the elevator side by side and it was only then that Stella turned to Danny and said, "Well it looks like your theory was right then Danny."

Smiling at her he began to walk towards his office and out of curiosity Stella followed him. She had expected him to go and start processing the fibres found at the scene or the samples taken from the vic.

Instead Danny walked up to his desk, opened his top drawer and pulled out a post-it. Sticking it on to the photo Sid had provided, he glanced up at Stella and smiled the post-it read, "For Montana."

Then Stella got it, he was leaving Lindsay a note asking her if she could give them her help in identifying the calluses on their victims hands. 

Stella looked up with a start as Mac rapped on the office window.

"How's the case going? You got it under control?" 

Danny dropped the photo with post-it attached onto Lindsay's desk and turned to his boss. "Sure we've got everything under control on this end. What about your case?"

Mac smiled. "I'm not on a case, just a ton of paperwork."

Stella smiled, "That bad huh?"

"You would not believe." Mac replied, "but you know me, I'll get it finished today if it's the death of _me." _Danny chuckled at Mac's joke. Funny. Very funny indeed. 

"Have you seen Hawkes or Lindsay around?" Mac asked and then noticing the post-it addressed to _Montana_ on her desk, "I guess not."

"If you see any of them tell them I'm looking for them. They were called out to a triple homicide this morning and I want to know how things are shaping up, but I guess they must still be at the scene." He motioned to Lindsay's desk." Lindsay's very thorough." 

Both detectives nodded their heads, "That's Montana for you." Danny said before walking out the room.

There was evidence that needed processing and he didn't have time to stand around talking, that evidence wouldn't process itself.

Smiling at Mac and promising that if she saw either of Hawkes or Lindsay she would send them to him, Stella left the room and went in search of Danny. Now where had that boy got to. 

Then it clicked why Danny had been so impatient, there was evidence to sort. Stella turned around, where the evidence was would be where Danny was.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Lindsay slammed the door of the SUV behind her and went to collect her kit. Hawkes had bet her to and handed it to her before she had even composed herself after getting out of the SUV. 

Smiling she took it in one hand and with the other picked up the evidence she had collected from the living room, she shook her head, from the preliminary scene. 

Yes, that was more like it.

Heading for the stairs she was stopped by Hawkes. "Don't you want to take the elevator? It's working again."

She smiled and changed course, she was glad it was fixed, it had been annoying having to climb up all those stairs with evidence, kits and whatever else they usually had. 

"Thank God." She said as Hawkes stepped into the elevator behind her. Laughing he pressed the button for their floor.

He thought it better if he got it over with now. "Do you want the body or the evidence?"

Lindsay looked at him, "I'll take the body, sorry bodies," she said noticing him smile as she said so, "but we're going to have to share the evidence as there is so much of it."

Still Hawkes' smile stayed on, "That's fine. I can live with that." 

Walking out of the elevator after Hawkes, Lindsay noticed Mac beckon to them from his office.

"Hey Hawkes!" she shouted, "Get back here!" 

Hearing his name, Hawkes turned around to see Lindsay standing with her hands on her hips, her eyes focused on him.

The sight made him laugh, it was no easy task to put your hands on your hips while holding on to a kit and evidence.

The glare Lindsay gave him made him try and muffle his laugh, but it was useless. 

"When you've finished laughing at me, can we go see what Mac wants?"

That stopped Hawkes' laughing straight away. "Ehm… sure lets go." 

Spinning on her heel Lindsay stormed towards Mac's office. 

'Oh oh she does not look happy.' he thought to himself.

"Mac." Lindsay said on entering his office, nodding at him as she turned her back on the door. 

"Mac." Sheldon nodded as he ran in the door out of breath. He turned and closed the door behind him.

"Nothing serious," he said seeing the same expression on both faces, "I was just wondering how you were getting on with your case. I expected you back a while ago. Where there any problems?"

Saying that he looked directly at Lindsay. "How are you coping Lindsay? Everything okay?"

Hawkes' eyes travelled to Lindsay too, unsure of what she would say.

But Lindsay just looked Mac straight in the eye and with her voice never wavering, "Mac I'm fine and I can cope. You don't need to treat me like a special case. I CAN do my job you know. I wouldn't be HERE if I couldn't!" 

Mac looked surprised to say the least and Hawkes understood why. 

A few weeks ago Lindsay would just of looked at her feet and blushed and if it had been a really hard day then you might have seen a single tear run down her cheek, but only if you had looked closely.

And now, well now she was screaming at him. It was crazy and kinda funny at the same time too.

Mac looked at Lindsay and held up his hands, palms out. 

"Whoa calm down."

"I'M NOT AN INVALID!!" Lindsay screamed before bursting out of his office and into the corridor. 

Mac smiled, it was a good thing his office was soundproof. In all truth, he was happy Lindsay had finally got her fire back. It meant that she was ready for whatever challenges she came to. Sighing he watched her storm towards her office, think better of it and walk back towards his.

"Well Sheldon it looks like the original Detective Monroe is back!" 

Hawkes laughed, glad that Mac was pleased at Lindsay's outburst not angry.

The door to his office opened silently and looking straight ahead Lindsay walked in. Frowning she sat on the couch, put her head in her hands and began to apologize for both her outburst and her dramatic exit , but Mac cut her short.

"Don't ever apologize for being right Lindsay." This made her look up, she was expecting an argument, at least a hint of anger in his voice but all she heard was pride.

"I'm glad you did that. It proved to me that your still up to this job," Lindsay's head shot up, "Of course I am!" she said, but Mac just waved her silent. 

"Now it's me who should be apologizing to you." Lindsay's face paled. 

"Don't worry, nothing dramatic. I just, well I've been trying to keep you on simpler cases to help you get back into the feel of the job. I realise now that that wasn't the best thing to do." 

Lindsay kept her composure as he sat next to her own the couch.

Hawkes hadn't left, she wondered why, but forgot all about him when Mac turned to face her again.

"Your 100 right, I have been treating you differently, I just didn't want you to relapse into not being able to go to a scene concerning a child, mother or any woman." He paused.

"That was wrong of me. Lindsay you are just as able as any of the others Hawkes, Stella, Danny, even me and I need to accept that your not a child and that you can cope with this all!" 

Saying so he motioned around his office. 

"It takes a brave woman to come to work in a place where she is constantly surrounded by rape and death. Your one of those few Lindsay and I'm glad that you chose to come here and work for me."

Lindsay smiled and Hawkes noticed that Mac had made her blush.

"You truly are unique Detective Monroe!" Lindsay looked Mac straight in the eye and knew he wasn't just saying it to make her feel better. 

She laughed, "Just don't let Danny hear you saying that Mac or he'll never let both of us live that down."

Mac was glad to see her smiling so brightly again. Returning to his desk he looked at Hawkes, "Well then , where were we?"

Hawkes began to fill Mac in on the case while Lindsay stood and came to stand beside him.

"We took a little longer getting back because Lindsay made me check everything **3** times, you know how she is Mac, very thorough." 

Mac smiled and looked up at both detectives standing in front of his desk. 

"Well then, looks like you've got everything covered. Give me a call when you find the daughter."

He turned his concentration back to the stack of paperwork on his desk. When neither Hawkes nor Lindsay moved he said rather forcefully, "Well get going then. You've got a killer to catch!"

Leaving Mac's office Hawkes let out a phew. He looked at Lindsay.

"You know I thought there was going to be fireworks just then!"

She looked at him smiling, "Well lets be glad there weren't any." Getting back on track she said, "I'm just gonna drop my kit off in my office, do you want me to help with the evidence the now or will I go see if Sid has anything for us yet?"

Hawkes took the evidence folder from her hand. "I'll start processing, you go to Sid's. You know he'll be expecting us."

Lindsay shook her head and walked into her and Danny's shared office. 

Her desk was a mess, she couldn't make out one thing from another, but that might be due to the fact that someone had put a vase of red bloody roses on it. 

'Ughh' she thought and then it hit her it was Valentines Day!

Crossing the room she left her kit on the floor by her desk and looked at the card on the flowers, only to see Stella's name. Breathing out a sigh of relief she lifted the vase and made her way to the break room. 

Going over to the largest table she put the vase of roses on it before turning and making her way down to Sid's.

He would not be pleased if she was late!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Danny frowned from where he was leaning over the microscope, the same lab tech had been in and out three times already looking for something that obviously wasn't there.

He offered his help to her again but she just ignored it. Made him think of Montana, his Montana.

Or well he wished she was.

Shaking his head he got back to the task, identifying their mystery black fibres.

Coming to the conclusion that they were horse hair he looked up from the microscope again, sighing with relief when the tech left.

Writing down his findings in a ruff report Danny took one last glance before pushing his self away from the 'scope certain now.

He was brought out of his little world when he heard a muffled giggling and looking up he saw it was Stella. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"What's so funny?" he asked, answered by an abrupt snort as she pointed at him. Danny was still none the wiser and now quite bewildered, so Stella tried to calm down.

Danny however was getting infuriated and ran his fingers through his hair only to amuse Stella more.

It was then that he looked for his glasses. Not beside the microscope or the computer, nor the printer. Where could they be??

Stella's never wavering gaze made Danny feel self- confidant and so he did the only thing to hide from it. He went back to the microscope and looked again.

Seeing Danny perched over the microscope sobered Stella up and she coughed so he would look up and discuss his findings, but when he did glance up she had to hold her stomach to stop laughing.

Here he was looking at her over the 'scope hair ruffled, expression infuriated and his glasses resting on his forehead, it made her laugh to see them just resting on the top of the scope. And he didn't even know it.

Now she knew what Lindsay found so amusing or maybe it was the fact that he sang to himself sometimes, Stella didn't know.

Trying to be diplomatic she apologised and asked him to remove his glasses from his forehead which he did, only to reveal big red marks.

'Silly Danny,' Stella thought, 'He looks like a clown!'

Reading his sheet she nodded at his findings hers were the same, the all pointed to country backgrounds.

With a sting she remembered that these were the backgrounds Lindsay had come from.

Soil, horse manure, grass, feed - for horses and horse hair had been found all over the victims clothing.

The whip thing was what had Stella, what could that possibly be?

Danny broke the silence now, "You know Stella there's a big event on in Central park this month, but not in Strawberry fields where we found our vic. Other end of Central Park altogether."

"Maybe our Kirsty Dulhurst was travelling with the fair." Danny rattled off a list of activities and Stella picked out 5 that the vic could easily have done.

Smiling Stella opened the door and motioned Danny out, to him she said, "Maybe we've just found our murderers hangout!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Lindsay winced as the freezing cold air of the morgue hit her, it was strange.

Montana had been much colder but it was like death made it all the more cold.

'Maybe,' she thought, 'Or maybe your just going crazy!'

Shaking her head she went to find Sid, who by now had a very satisfied smile on his face. But why she did not know.

"Sid." Lindsay smiled as the M.E jumped, startled by her sudden presence.

Sid clutched at his heart "Jeez Lindsay. Do you want to give me a heart attack??" he said.

"Of course not Sid, who on earth would do your autopsy?" she said wagging a finger jokingly.

Sid mumbled something under his breath too low for her to catch it.

'Getting too much like Danny.' Is what he thought.

Smiling now Lindsay turned towards the trolley with the little boy on it and gave a sad smile before standing back to allow Sid access.

His smile was less defined now, but it was still there Lindsay noticed. Instead of wondering about it she listened in as he began to speak.

"Boy aged 2 named Andy Dulhurst, no middle name. Died of being quite literally crushed to death. He had a heavy wait place on his chest but something soft, not hard like a weight, it crushed his ribs and sent them backwards perforating his lungs and eventually stopping his heart. Bruising on his hands and legs."

Lindsay examined the arm Sid extended towards her and took photographs. Interesting shapes.

"Do you have any idea what caused them Sid?" she asked hopefully, but to no avail.

"Nope not a clue, well actually I think they might not have developed fully if u come back in a few hours I'll look again for you!"

"Thanks Sid" Lindsay looked into his face there was something hidden there and as he met her gaze she knew there was something he didn't want to tell her.

"What is it Sid?" she asked nervous now.

He pointed to the child' s now lifeless body.

"I don't know how to say this but the most severe bruising was found on the boy's back near his anus and there was severe signs of sexual activity."

Watching Lindsay's face get paler he noticed her hands ball up into fists.

"There was also semen found in his stomach and bite marks along his penis. This boy was very horrifically sexually abused."

Sid could feel his face turn green as he thought of how sick a man would need to be to do that to a child, no not a child, a baby.

"If you want my opinion on how he died I'd say that so far from what evidence, it looks like he was crushed to death by a body. The body of however abused him!"

Lindsay closed her eyes and exhaled heavily before opening them. Sid was watching tentatively at her, nodding at him she replied.

"I think you've hit the nail on the head there, Hawkes and I will need to go back and examine the nursery, but I'm pretty certain that your theory is what actually happened."

Looking down at the child on the morgue slab she asked Sid the dreaded question.

"Did you collect a sample of semen from the anal passage and saliva from the child himself?"

Sid nodded dutifully and handed her the samples, "There you go."

Motioning to the right, Sid covered up the child's body and then pulled back the cloth on the mothers body.

" Juliana Elizabeth Dulhurst, 35 years of age. Worked as a dental receptionist.

Some defensive wounds, no sexual activity.

Straightforward blow to the head, died instantly."

Lindsay shook her head dismally and accepted the photos Sid passed her. Flicking through them she found nothing conclusive and just as he was about to move on she remembered something.

"Sid, what weapon do you think could have done this?" Lindsay pointed to the dent in the mothers head.

"That's what am getting to." Sid replied and shuffled towards the fathers corpse.

Following him Lindsay noticed a tiny palm mark on his shoulder and paled.

Sid noticed her reaction and nodded.

"I'm afraid that those results," he pointed to the ones grasped firmly in her hand, ",May belong to David Dulhurst himself, there were signs of recent sexual activity and along with the bruises……"

Sid trailed off and Lindsay's heart fell to her stomach, Sid was _never_ incapable of finishing a sentence no matter how heinous the crime.

Lindsay walked around the trolley and roughly tugged up the cloth so that David Dulhurst's face was hidden, she then put her hand on Sid's shoulder.

"Sid, Sid? Are you okay??" Lindsay was worried now and then she noticed that he was no longer gazing at the body in front of them but rather gazing at her. Sid removed her hand from his shoulder and held it in his for a moment.

"It's good to have you back Lindsay" was all that he said, but it was enough.

Lindsay felt at home again, even in the cold confound space of the morgue.

Lindsay had finally found her home.


End file.
